These
worksheets are for using in small groups in the church. Please feel
free to copy and paste them and use them in such groups.
Prologue:
An
Evangelist
One
especially gifted by God with the ability to bring people through to
commitment to Christ (Eph 4:11
).
A
limited number in the body of Christ.
God
may gift you in this way (you'll know it by the burden God gives you
to share the Gospel, and the fruit of salvation following).
A
Witness
One
who simply testifies to what they know (about God and what He has done
in their life).
All
Christians are called to be witnesses (Acts 1:8)
Jesus
is our Model
Jesus
was described as being “full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14
)
- grace
is all of God's goodness
- truth
is being utterly real
We
are good witnesses when we exhibit by word and deed all of God's love
and goodness, and show that we are completely real.
1.
Be proactive in targeting people near you
1.1.
Pray for people
Ask
the Lord in prayer to put people on your heart
Pray
for those people regularly
1.2
Melt People's hearts
Love
people, be concerned for them and respect them
Do
good to people, win their hearts
Help
them become open to you, e.g.
1
Pet 3:1 Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that,
if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without
words by the behavior of their wives
2.
Be Ready in Yourself to be a Witness
Work
on a 2 minute testimony how you came to Christ & what
it now means to you
(People
are put off by long-winded stories)
Ensure
you are confident in bringing someone to Christ
Are
you ready if someone says, “OK, what DO I do?
A
simple approach would be:
a)
KNOWING
- Acknowledge
you have a need – of forgiveness, of knowing God, of letting God be
God in your life.
- Realise
that God loves you and isn't here to condemn you but to love you and
wants you to know His love.
- Understand
that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place to take the
punishment that justice says we deserve for all our failings
- Accept
that that has happened and that God wants to enter into a relationship
with you where He leads your life.
b)
DOING (in prayer)
- Ask
Him to forgive you on the basis of what Jesus has done for you,
- Declare
your belief in Jesus as your Saviour,
- Ask
Him into your life to be Lord.
3.
TAKE Opportunities when they arise
3.1
Opportunities WILL come your way
1
Pet 3:15 Always
be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason
for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect
This
implies people WILL ask when they see differences in us.
It
does help if people know we are Christians but this may only come out
in discussion.
When
this happens, you may assume the Holy Spirit is working.
Instantly
pray and ask for God's grace.
These
questions may be
a)
Direct Questions about you
e.g.
“Why don't you get stressed like others here?”
b)
Indirect Questions about spiritual things
e.g.
“Why do Christians say….?”
Observe
the two ways we are to give our answer:
3.2
Speak with Gentleness
Treat
people as you'd like to be treated.
Don't
feel you have to do it all – God's on their case remember, let Him do
what you can't do – bring conviction.
Relax,
this may just be one link in their chain; you don't have to bash home
all the message in one go.
3.3
Use Respect
God
will not force this person, so don't you!
Again,
treat them like you'd like to be treated.
Speak
in such a way that people feel good about what you've said.
Always
leave the door open so that they can come back again and talk more in
the future.
Take
them where they are at the moment, don't rush them but accept them where
they are today.
Give
them the opportunity to go away and think more about it.
3.4
Additionally
Be
honest and real – acknowledge your lack or fears or whatever
Don't
use religious jargon – learn to talk about spiritual issues using the
most simple language possible.
Don't
use clichés – they smack of pretence or unreality.
3.5
Yet Be Ready to bring them through
It
may be all right to ask, “Do you want to do something about this now?”
and lead them through if the answer is positive.
Be
ready to follow them up if they do make a commitment check are they
OK,
suggest
simple things like prayer and Bible Reading and finding a lively church
where they can learn and grow.
4.
MAKE Opportunities
4.1
The two alternatives: taking and making
Much
of the time, when we have prayed and prepared, we may expect God to
make opportunities and we simply have to take them as we've considered
above.
Yet
there will be times when after we've prayed, we sense we need to take
the initiative with someone.
4.2
Preparing the way
Spend
time with the Lord and ask Him to give you:
- the
wisdom to know how to approach them,
- the
wisdom to know when to approach them and,
- the
words that open up conversation and allow you to share.
4.3
Moving in
Observe
the rules above – be gentle and respectful.
Never
attack someone, their ideas, or their stance in life.
You
may:
- share
that as a Christian you believe God speaks to us and you've sensed
His concern and love for them,
- ask
them to explain their ideas etc. if they have been vocal, but be real
in your interest,
- simply
offer to share where you come from in life and the love and acceptance
you've found.
- offer
to pray for them (on your own at home) if they have shared a need
or difficulty they are going through.
5.
And Finally
Risk
it – make this an approach you will build into your life.
Don't
be put off by thinking:
- you
have to have all the answers (be honest, you don't)
- you
have to be a good speaker (simplicity of often best)
- you'll
be rejected (you won't be if you follow the rules above)
- you'll
get it wrong (you probably won't!)
- you
have to convict them (no, it's God's work!)
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